Improved animal tether



@sind @attire Letters Patent No. 105,018, dated JulyV 5, 1870.

IMPRovnn ANIMAL TETHER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent' and making part of the same.

To all whom tt may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS NORTHRUP WHEELER, of Blue Earth City, in the county of Fairbault and State of Minnesota, hare invented a new and Improved Animal Picket; and I. do hereby declare that the following is a full,'`clear, and exact description thereof, whichI will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification.'

This-invention relates to improvements in appara'- tus for picketing animals, and consists in an improved arrangement ot' means for maintaining a sucient tension on the cord to prevent it from gettingfaronnd the legs or necks of the animals, and yet permit them the full range of it.

Thedrawing represents a side elevation of my improved apparatus, one part heilig sectioned.

A represents a stake, to. vbe driven into the 'ground for supporting the apparatus, which is attached to a bar, B, mounted in a socket in the stake, so as to turn horizontally. A

C is a block of Wood, supported on the bar B, either vertically or nearly so.

E F repesent a pair'of blocks, connected together' so as to form two sides of an obtuse triangle, and suspendedy on a pivot, G, supported in arms H, projecting from the top of the block C, so that the block E will hang by the side of C.

AThe block F, which projects horizontally', supports a leaderepole', I, pivoted to Iit at K, and having aV spring, L, arranged withl it, so as to have a tendency to throw the poleback after being drawn up to the vertical position.

The cord M is attached to the end of vthis leaderpole, and passesthrongh an 'eye in the top of another pole, N, rising up from the block E, thence the cord hangs down for attachment to the animal. 1

When the animal is tied to the cord, and draws it through the eye on the top of the pole N ,the weight ot the pole I and the spring will take np-the slack of the rope and keep it from under his feet..

When the pole I is drawn up against the pole-N,

the continued strain onthe cord will swing the blocksA E F up onthe pivot G until they arrive at the position represented in dotted lines, when the paying ont of the cord will cease; and, when the animal returns toward the stake,'the weighted blcckswill first take np'the slack by swinging back tov the position shownin the drawing, then the4 leading-pole, being first thrown back by the spring and afterwards falling by gravity, will continue to keep the cord taut. y

The block E is provided -with a number of poles for' the pivot-bolt G, for shifting itto vary the center of motion, so-that the weight onthe cord may be varied for different animals.

For convenience of storage and transportatiomtho 'y bars I- N. are detachablyconnected to the blocks.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentlhe combination with the stake A, ofthe horizontally-revolving block C, blocks E F, poles I N, cord M, and spring-L, arranged and operating substantially as specified.-

' THOMAS N. WHEELER.

Witnesses:

J. BoUGHLEN, J. F. STAKNELL'. 

